Good highways are so interwoven with every phase of our daily activities that it is almost impossible to imagine what life would be like without them.We depend on highways for the movement of goods, for travel to and from work, for services, for social and recreational purposes, and for many other activities necessary to the functioning of our complex society. The planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of highways depend largely on the efforts of the highway engineer, who must translate the desires of the people for better highway transportation into physical being.
The interaction of the human, the vehicle, and the road environment fundamentally determines the safety of the transportation system. Ultimately, highway and vehicle engineers seek methods to prevent the crash condition or, in lieu of crash prevention, to minimize the level of crash severity by complementing vehicle design, road design, and driver interaction with both. This 3-hour interactive online course examines some of the driver and pedestrian characteristics that are of consequence and interest to the designer. In the latter part, the course discusses certain physical characteristics of passenger cars and trucks that have a bearing on the design process. This is the third course in a series on highway engineering.
Be familiar with the general characteristics of a driver, including driver distraction and the human sensory process.
Know the general characteristics of a pedestrian, including the special needs of bicyclists, the elderly, and children.
Recognize the types and characterics of motor vehicles, learning about lengths a designer must go to in order to accommodate everything from the smallest motorcycle to the largest tractor-trailer truck, as well as bicycle users and pedestrians.
Understand the mechanics of traffic flow, the three measures of the speed of travel, traffic volume and methods of analysis.
Have reviewed the causes and prevention of highway crashes, and understand how to seek methods of crash prevention, as well as minimizing crash severity through complementing vehicle design, road design and driver interaction.
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT: Paul H. Wright and Karen Dixon
Dr. Karen Dixon is an Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering at Oregon State University. She has her Ph.D., Masters and Bachelors in Civil Engineering. Professor Dixon's interests include transportation design, operations, and safety with particular emphasis on creating a transportation infrastructure that serves all prospective users. Dr. Paul Wright is widely recognized as an expert in highway safety.
3 hrs. Online Course